The threat from across the river

New York State looks like a benign jungle from behind the
Tenant Farm. To relax in the evening, I often sit on the rocky shore
of the St. Lawrence River and gaze at the leafy horizon. I imagine
what it would be like to fear it.

New York State looks like a benign jungle from behind the Tenant Farm. To relax in the evening, I often sit on the rocky shore of the St. Lawrence River and gaze at the leafy horizon. I imagine what it would be like to fear it.

In the 1860s, the American shoreline was a potential launch pad for an invasion: first by the Union Army, and then a rogue group of Irish terrorists called the Fenians. And for the residents of the province of Canada, which lined the St. Lawrence River, that watery border was a steady source of dread.

I discovered this chapter of Canadian history in July, a month that began with blood and terror in the subway lines of London. In the wake of the bombings, our country's leaders warned Canadians to be vigilant. Canada was the last untouched nation on Osama bin Laden's hit list, and pundits predicted it wasn't a matter of if the attack would come, but when.

We are marked for terror at home. But it is not the first time.

Aug. 19, 1864. I heard from Mary, who is in great state of alarm about the Yankees taking this country.

That diary entry was penned by Amelia Harris of London, in what was then Canada West. She was the 66- year-old mother of 12, the wife of a prominent businessman, and a keen observer of current events. She kept a diary for 20 years, beginning in 1855, and documented news such as the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Confederation, and the murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee.

She also wrote while the American Civil War limped to an end. The war broke out in 1861 and continued until 1865, leaving a country with a raw scar between the northern and southern states. It also left British North America, Canada's predecessor, on the precipice of war.

Sept. 12, 1864. The troops got their marching orders today and are to leave on the 14th. We are very sorry to have them go. London will be very dull without the Red Coats.

Although Britain was officially neutral, some in the British government were sympathetic to the southern cause, mostly because England needed the imported raw cotton to fuel its textile mills. This infuriated many in the U.S. North. Many Canadians worried that, flush with their impending victory, the U.S. would turn its sights north toward Britain's closest limb.

Sept. 14, 1864. The regiment marched at 7, bidding a long adieu to London. It is very doubtful whether there will be any more British soldiers stationed in London as the government says they will not defend the colonies. We all feel dull and the town looks dull.

American hostility toward Britain could not have come at a worse time for the province of Canada. Successive British governments had begun to view the colonies as useless and expensive appendages, which their powerful trading nation neither needed nor could afford.

As the American Civil War dragged on, Britain became more and more reluctant to shoulder the burden of North American defence. She pulled her troops from key locations, such as London, where Mrs. Harris lived.

Dec. 16, 1864. There appears to be a very great probability of war with the Yankees. If so, the country will be over-run. The thoughts of such a possibility keep me from sleep.

The hostility felt by the North toward Canada reached its height in 1864, when southern agents used Canadian border towns as bases for raids on New England. But even as the threat of American invasion persisted, Britain called her troops home. The burden of defence fell on amateurs: men from fields and city streets who joined local militias and vowed to guard their territory.

Jan. 13, 1865. There is a great probability of war with the Yankees. Every paper is full of war excitement.

The Americans were coming, but another threat was simmering, too. A group of Irish loyalists called the Fenian Brotherhood, or Irish Republican Brotherhood, was gathering support in pockets of New York state.

Their goal was to weaken Britain's military presence in Ireland by forcing its army to come to Canada's defence. And they would do so by launching a reign of terror on the other side of the St. Lawrence River.

Jan 14, 1865. We are all very much alarmed for fear there will be a war. We pray that God will keep us in peace.

The American invasion never came. After Abraham Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, the new U.S. government was preoccupied, mostly with reconstruction and reconciliation after the Civil War.

The Fenian attacks came mostly in the summer of 1866, when they crossed the river to burn barns and murder livestock between Montreal and Niagara Falls. In June, they occupied Fort Erie but, demoralized and lacking supplies, were forced to scuttle home.

That was the last time Canada was invaded by a land army. We have fought in several wars since, and lost people in battles overseas, but most Canadians have no sense of what it is like to lie fearful in our beds.

Those in other nations have not been so lucky.

After the July bombings, Londoners were credited for their stoic response to the attacks. Many attributed their refusal to flee or panic in the face of terror to their country's history. Londoners didn't panic during the Blitz or IRA bombings, and they weren't about to panic now.

In Canada, the experiences of our ancestors, such as Amelia Harris, have been relegated to history books and dusty archives. They are too far in the past to be tattooed on our collective consciousness. That is a gift; for I would rather be naive than stoic, if it means we have had a history of peace at home.

Listen to a popular anti-fenian song from 1860s Upper Canada, along with other music from the period, at www.ottawacitizen.com

Tomorrow: an update from neco

Little House on the Web

As part of the Citizen's celebration of its 160th anniversary, the newspaper has embarked on a groundbreaking series that will take readers back in time.

Until Sept. 3, reporters Hayley Mick and Neco Cockburn are living at Upper Canada Village, trying to capture what it was like to live in the 1860s.

You can follow their adventures every day in the pages of the Citizen and online at www.ottawacitizen.com, searchword 'little house.'

- Read their blogs, updated several times a day, to find out what they're up to right now.

- NEW! Hayley and Neco answer some of your questions.

- NEW! Neco's finally got the hang of milking the cow. See his video diary.

- Take a tour of their tiny Tenant Farm.

- Read documents from the 19th century, including a romantic diary, a photo album and real newspaper stories.

- Visit Hayley's kitchen, read about food of the time and download recipes.

- Take a tour of the Village with the interactive map.

- Enter our online essay contest for young readers. You could win your own trip back in time and a digital camera.

- Download 1860s music and take our history quiz.

- Hear a replay of Hayley's and Neco's radio interview from 106.9 The Bear.

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